Bhaktivedanta Manor about to embark on an impresive new goshalla

[Guest guest]

Dear Prabhus,

 

over the past few years we have been working closely with architects as well

as members of the Manors Estate Development Committee to expand the current

facilities occupied by the Herd of 33 cows and oxen.

 

The planning application has been submitted the local planning office of the

local council and they are subsequently considering it. The new building has

housing for 30 cows and 30 oxen with each animal having a generous amount of

lying and movement space. We have allocated 25 sq m's (250 sq ft) per ox

and 17.5 sq m's (175 sq ft) per cow.

 

The building contains granary, equipment storage, Workshop space, Secure

storage, Hay and straw barn, Goshalla workers room with toilets and showers,

farm shop, office spaces, educational presentation areas, walkways with

presentation boards, display areas, milking parlour and adjoining calf pen

and equipment rooms, Ox Gear head machinery area with hitching room and yolk

room. The Rathayatra cart will also be housed in the building. There are

courtyards that can be used for presentations as well as making a very

spacious setting for the cows and their visitors. The new facilities will

enable us to house 60 cows and oxen in a very impressive setting and

hopefully will serve as an inspiration for goshallas far and wide.

 

The new Goshalla has been named New Gokul in fulfilment of Srila Prabhupadas

desire for the estate.

 

On the 16th of August we had a fund raising Dinner and as a consequence of

the incredible work and devotion of many Manor devotees we were able to

receive pledges of money to cover the cost of the construction. The fund

raising will continue and we are now negotiating with a local farmer to

purchase a further 50 acres of land. This land will be used for growing hay,

fodder, potatoes, grains and other food items and will be cultivated in the

most part by the Manors working oxen.

 

If you would like any further information please do not hesitate to get in

touch.

 

yours in the service of Lord Krishna

 

Syamasundara dasa

Goshalla Manager

Bhaktivedanta Manor

[Guest guest]

Mark Middle Mountain wrote:

 

>You should send that to Chakra.

>

 

I agree -- with a photo.

 

I guess my only worry is manpower. Will the Manor be able to attract

and maintain enough workers to sustain this project over time?

 

On the other hand, if anyone can do it, I'd says that Syamasundara would

be one of the few.

 

Best luck in your project!

 

ys

 

hkdd

 

>

>

[Guest guest]

It has been a regular question raised about how the new facility will be

maintained in terms of finances and personnel. My thoughts regarding this

are that in terms of the needs of the cows, oxen and the planned growth in

agricultural opportunities we are more or less there. We have recently

advertised for an additional person to help with the day to day milking and

ox work and this should be sufficient to deal with the current farm and

estate work along with the extra work on the new land.

 

There are new elements which should be self supporting. The shop for example

will have to work financially by the products it sells. The intention is to

market products that are picked from the natural countryside or are grown

naturally and cooked into confectionaries, jams, chutneys etc. The suppliers

to the shop preferably will be families cooking in there own homes and using

foods produced from the manors farm or indeed from other family persons

growing to natural standards.

 

The new facility will give more opportunity to visiting groups and again

this will have to be self supporting with the revenue tour groups attract.

 

As the New Gokul is visitor focused as well as being a space for careing for

the cows we will have to keep all the public areas particularly clean and

tidy. This will invariably mean an extra person or persons cleaning the

walkways, courtyards, display areas and indeed the toilets. This aspect of

daily public area cleaning has not been fully analysed as yet. Preferably we

can support a cleaner financially but if that does not seam possible in the

begining then we may have to look to the general temple residents to extend

their cleaning area to include the public farm area.

 

ys syam